What Chris Wilder said about Tyler Bindon’s Sheffield United future amid impressive turnaround, Nottingham Forest transfer plan
What Chris Wilder said about Tyler Bindon’s Sheffield United future amid impressive turnaround, Nottingham Forest transfer plan
Chris Wilder has admitted he is open to the idea of working with Tyler Bindon, the Nottingham Forest loanee, in the future after being impressed by the youngster’s Sheffield United turnaround. Bindon, like the rest of his United teammates, endured a torrid start to the current campaign.
He lost his place after the sacking of Ruben Selles, who brought him to Bramall Lane after working with him at Reading last term, and had to bide his time on the bench for large periods of the campaign.
But he remained professional throughout and has caught the eye after coming back into the side, with a man-of-the-match display in Wednesday night’s defeat at Norwich City highlighting his growing importance to the Blades side.
The New Zealand international is expected to make his latest United appearance at Birmingham City tomorrow, and has the prospect of a big summer on the horizon at the World Cup as well. But for now his full focus remains on United and turning around their fortunes after a brief yet untimely dip in collective form over the last week.
“He's been really good since he's got into the team,” Wilder said. “Obviously, the team was Mark [McGuinness] and Japh [Tanganga] to start with, and then Ben [Mee] came into the equation and then was out injured.
What Chris Wilder said about Tyler Bindon’s Sheffield United future amid impressive turnaround, Nottingham Forest transfer plan
“Tyler is another player who’s made his mistakes and had difficult afternoons and difficult nights. But they have to go through that experience, if that's the way the club are going and we're wanting to go. It's not an average age of 29 or 30. It's not a Coventry, or Middlesbrough or Southampton.
“Ours is a pretty youthful side, so we're going down this route, which I'm happy to do and learn. So Tyler and Femi [Seriki] and Brooksy [Andre Brooks] and Sydie [Peck] and [Ollie Ar]blaster and all the young boys who have played a part for us, they will be better for this experience.
“Harrison Burrows, another season in the Championship, will be better for the experience. But Tyler's been good, generally been good. His partnership has been pretty solid with Japh. It's flourished.
“It’s had it's off afternoons and off nights but for me, at the moment, that's the best partnership. The system's the best system from our point of view. We've just got to execute better game plans and we've got to be better in both boxes.”
Bindon is scheduled to return to Forest in the summer at the end of his loan but he will remain well down the pecking order at the City Ground, especially if they remain in the Premier League, and could be allowed to leave again next term.
He will also enter the final two years of his Forest contract when his initial time at United ends, with many fans calling on the Blades to try and strike a deal with the top-flight side for a player who hasn’t long since turned 21 and has a high ceiling.
“From Tyler's point of view, he's here to the end of the season,” Wilder added. “Obviously from Forest's point of view, if they stay in the division, which I should imagine they will do, he'll be looking to go out on loan.
“He's somebody that we would openly be interested in talking to. I'd like to think that he's enjoyed his period. He's still got a bit of football to play. He's still got to stay in the team, which is important for him.
“He's got a big summer coming up with the World Cup as well, which is a fabulous experience. But he's been great to work with. He wants to learn. He wants to improve. And let's see what happens. But he's doing himself no harm in terms of his attitude at the football club and his performances for us.”